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Student credit cards are typically designed to have less strict requirements and fewer benefits than many other types of credit cards — primarily because they're meant to be starter cards for students building their credit history. But cards such as the Capital One Savor Student Cash Rewards Credit Card(Rates and fees) flip the script by offering a product that provides excellent earning potential and benefits without strict qualification requirements.
In this Savor Rewards for Students card review, you'll learn about this card's benefits and drawbacks, as well as how to use it to earn and redeem cashback rewards. This will help you decide whether the Savor Rewards for Students is the best fit for you.
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Current Offer
Early Spend Bonus: Earn $100 when you spend $300 in the first three months
Annual Fee
$0
Rewards Rate
8% cash back on entertainment purchases when you book through the Capital One Entertainment portal; unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel; 3% on dining, entertainment, streaming services, and grocery stores (excluding superstores such as Walmart® and Target®); and 1% on all other purchases
Who should get the Savor Rewards for Students Card?
The Savor Rewards for Students card is only for students who are 18 or older. Capital One considers a student, for this card, as anyone who is enrolled or about to be enrolled within three months of applying at an accredited university, college, or another type of higher education institution. Keep in mind, you have to meet the student requirements to qualify for this card, but you won't necessarily lose access to using the card after graduating or when you're no longer a student.
This card would likely be a good fit for students who want to build credit and benefit from its earning potential. You typically need fair credit to qualify, which fits many students who are just starting their credit-building journey.
In addition, the $0 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees are helpful for keeping costs to a minimum, including if you plan to travel while in college. But credit card beginners should take care with this card's high APR. This isn't a card you want to owe money given its high interest rate.
Card basics
| Card type | Student |
| Credit card issuer | Capital One |
| Credit card network | Mastercard |
| Annual fee | $0 |
| Early spend bonus | Earn $100 when you spend $300 in the first three months |
| Reward rate | 8% cash back on entertainment purchases when you book through the Capital One Entertainment portal; unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel; 3% on dining, entertainment, streaming services, and grocery stores (excluding superstores such as Walmart® and Target®); and 1% on all other purchases |
| Recommended credit score | Fair, No Credit |
| Foreign transaction fee | None |
Savor Rewards for Students Card benefits and perks
- High cashback rate: Cardholders earn 8% cash back on entertainment purchases when you book through the Capital One Entertainment portal; unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel; 3% on dining, entertainment, streaming services, and grocery stores (excluding superstores such as Walmart® and Target®); and 1% on all other purchases. These earning categories can be an ideal match for students because they represent common areas where you might typically spend money.
- No annual fee: The Savor Rewards for Students has a $0 annual fee, so you don't have an additional annual cost to worry about as a college student.
- No foreign transaction fees: You won't have to pay an added cost on foreign purchases, which could come in handy if you're studying abroad.
- Automatic review: Capital One will automatically consider you for a credit line increase after six months.
- Extended warranty protection: Eligible purchases have their warranty extended with this benefit.1 <p class="">For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.<br></p>
- Concierge service: Receive complimentary concierge service for dining, entertainment, and travel.1 <p class="">For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the benefits may be provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.<br></p>
- Capital One Entertainment: Receive special access to sporting, music, and dining events through the Capital One Entertainment portal. You have the option to use your rewards, your card, or a combination of the two to book tickets.
- Important alerts: Receive alerts about changes to your TransUnion or Experian credit reports and free credit monitoring with CreditWise.
Drawbacks to the Savor Rewards for Students Card
- No intro balance transfer or purchase APR: Many credit cards provide a 0% introductory APR offer for the first year or more after account opening, often for purchases or balance transfers, but there's no such offer with this card. Instead, you'll get the regular APR. For cards with these intro APR offers, check out our list of the best balance transfer cards.
Earning and redeeming
Best ways to earn
The best way to earn cash back with the Savor Rewards for Students Card is by using it as much as possible, especially in categories where it earns bonus rewards.
For example, the earning rate for dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and at grocery stores (excluding superstores such as Walmart® and Target®) is 3%, but for all other purchases it's only 1%. So you can earn three times as much if you use the Savor Student on purchases that fall within these bonus categories.
| Categories | Rewards rate |
| Entertainment purchases when booked through the Capital One Entertainment portal | 8% |
| Hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel | 5% |
| Dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and at grocery stores (excluding superstores such as Walmart® and Target®) | 3% |
| All other purchases | 1% |
Here's a breakdown of what counts as an eligible purchases for the bonus categories on the Savor Rewards for Students Card:
- What counts as dining? Eligible purchases at restaurants, cafes, bars, fast-food restaurants, bakeries, and lounges.
- What counts as entertainment? Eligible purchases at movie theaters, amusement parks, tourist attractions, aquariums and zoos, record stores, bowling alleys, and more. Golf courses and collegiate sporting events don't count.
- What counts as streaming? Eligible streaming services include Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and more. Prime Video, AT&T TV, and Verizon Fios On Demand are excluded.
- What counts as a grocery store? Eligible purchases at supermarkets, specialty markets, meat lockers, and dairy product stores. Superstores like Walmart and Target are excluded.
Maximizing your redemptions
The Savor Rewards for Students Card offers multiple ways to redeem your cash back, including:
- Statement credits
- Mailed check
- Cover previous purchases
- Gift cards
- Cover PayPal purchases
- Shop with Points at Amazon.com
- Capital One Entertainment
Capital One doesn't publicly release its reward redemption rates, but most cashback credit cards offer the best rates when you redeem your rewards for the option(s) that most equate to actual cash back — which in this case would be for statement credits or a mailed check. You can use your rewards for gift cards or shopping with PayPal or Amazon, but you run the risk of getting less value for your cash back.
Savor Rewards for Students Card FAQs
Is the Savor Rewards for Students Card a good card?
The Savor Rewards for Students Card can be one of the best cashback credit cards for students who want to build their credit while earning valuable rewards. It has a $0 annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and provides bonus cash back in common spending categories for students — including dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and at grocery stores (excluding superstores such as Walmart® and Target®).
What credit score do you need for the Savor Rewards for Students Card?
You'll likely need a fair credit score to qualify for the Savor Rewards for Students Card. According to the FICO scoring model, a fair credit score starts at 580.
Do note that numerical credit scores are provided as guidelines only and are not a guarantee of approval.
How do you redeem cash back with the Savor Rewards for Students Card?
Cash back can be redeemed as a statement credit, as a mailed check, to cover previous purchases, as a gift card, or to make purchases on Amazon. In this case, redeeming your cash back for a statement credit or mailed check is likely to offer you the most value.
What are some alternatives to the Savor Rewards for Students Card?
If the Savor Rewards for Students Card doesn't seem like the right fit for you, consider these other options for students, some of which offer sign-up bonuses and other valuable benefits:
Other cards to consider
The Savor Rewards for Students Credit Card offers helpful benefits and rewards, but it might not be the best credit card for everyone. For other options, consider the Chase Freedom Rise® and the QuicksilverOne from Capital One.
The Chase Freedom Rise® has a $0 annual fee and offers 1.5% cash back on all purchases. While it's marketed as a cashback card, it actually earns Chase Ultimate Rewards program points, which are among the most valuable credit card rewards available. With this card, you can also earn $25 statement credit for enrolling in automatic payments within the first three months of account opening.
The QuicksilverOne from Capital One* has a $39 annual fee and offers unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase; plus 5% unlimited cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel. The annual cost is something to consider, but your potential earnings could offset the fee each year if you earn enough.
The best part of flat-rate earnings is you don't have to worry about tracking bonus categories — everything you purchase, other than hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, earns 1.5% cash back. So if your typical spending habits don't align with the cashback categories on the Savor Student Card, the QuicksilverOne might be a better option for you.
For more details, check out our Capital One QuicksilverOne review.
*Details about QuicksilverOne from Capital One have been collected by FinanceBuzz editors. This information, including rates and fees, is accurate as of the date of the review and was not reviewed or approved by the issuer. FinanceBuzz does not receive commission for these products.
Why We Like It
Early Spend Bonus: Earn $100 when you spend $300 in the first three months
See how these cards compare:
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Chase Freedom Rise®
- $0 annual fee
- Earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases
- Earn $25 statement credit for enrolling in automatic payments within the first three months of account opening
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QuicksilverOne from Capital One
- Recommended for those with fair credit
- Offers cashback rewards
- Potential for credit line increases
- Provides credit score monitoring
